There are numerous bicycle carriers that mount to a vehicle for transporting bicycles from one location to another location. These carriers include roof-top mounted carriers, trunk mounted carriers and hitch mounted carriers. Roof-top carriers and trunk mounted carriers are primarily used for cars and other low profile vehicles. Hitch mounted carriers are popular with SUVs and other vehicles that have hitch attachments.
Hitch mounted carriers typically include a square bar or tube that slides into a receiver mounted on the vehicle. A pin engages the bar or tube in the receiver to secure the carrier to the vehicle. A vertical component is mounted onto the tube with horizontally extending arms onto which the bicycle is secured. These carriers are awkward to align and mount onto the vehicle. This type of carrier is also relatively heavy which also renders them difficult to mount onto the vehicle.
Also, these carriers are not adjustable, thus requiring different carriers for different types of bicycles, such as road bicycles and mountain bicycles. Also most current bicycle carriers are expensive ranging in price $150-$500.
Another problem with hitch mounted carriers is the use of the vehicle hitch receiver. Once the hitch mounted carrier is mounted to the hitch receiver, the vehicle may not be used for another use requiring the hitch receiver. Often it is necessary to use the hitch receiver for other purposes, such as towing a trailer. In that event, the hitch mounted carrier is not able to be used.
Many of the existing hitch mounted carriers also require partial disassembly of the bicycle for transport, such as removal of the front wheel. This is time consuming and requires securing the front wheel elsewhere on the carrier or vehicle.
A serious problem with hitch mounted bicycle carriers arise from damage to the bicycle being transported from the heat of the vehicle engine exhaust. Often the bicycle tires are adjacent to the vehicle engine exhaust which has considerable heat. This can result in the tires and bicycle components being damaged from this heat. Current bicycle carriers cannot be adjusted so that the bicycle is well clear of the exhaust tailpipe of different vehicles.
Thus a need exists for a lightweight, easily adjustable bicycle carrier for transporting bicycles between locations, one which avoids some or all of the above-described problems.